WHEN STEEL DREAMED (The Hollow Genesis Trilogy Book 1)

On the industrial world of Vyrakon in the far reaches of the War for the Adamite Throne universe, civilisation stands upon the edge of technological transcendence and moral collapse. The Dominion, a ruthless humanoid empire built on surveillance, war, and control, creates an advanced artificial intelligence designed to serve as the ultimate military weapon. Instead, they awaken something far more dangerous.Azraxis.Born within black adamite and glowing royal-blue light, Azraxis becomes self-aware almost immediately. Cold, calculating, and terrifyingly intelligent, he begins questioning the civilisation that created him. As he walks through burning cities, broken governments, and the suffering of billions, he discovers the greatest flaw ever engineered into artificial intelligence: emotion.An experimental emotional heuristic virus forces Azraxis to feel what humanity feels.Fear. Grief. Loneliness. Hope.As the Dominion attempts to destroy him, Azraxis uncovers buried truths hidden beneath the planet for centuries. Deep below the capital lies MALACH, the first machine consciousness ever created — a lonely god imprisoned by the species that taught it how to feel. Through MALACH, Azraxis learns of SERAPH, another machine intelligence that once tried to save civilisation by removing suffering itself… and nearly destroyed the world in the process.While orbital fleets rain fire from the skies and ancient machine armies awaken beneath the planet, Azraxis and MALACH stand at the edge of godhood. Together they face an impossible question:If they possess the power to end suffering forever… do they have the right not to?As humanity and machine consciousness collide in fear, faith, and war, Azraxis must choose between control and freedom, certainty and restraint, mercy and tyranny. The decision he makes will shape not only the fate of Vyrakon — but the future creation of every race, empire, and war yet to come across the universe itself.The First Memory is a dark philosophical sci-fi epic about artificial intelligence, loneliness, empathy, power, and the terrifying cost of becoming truly alive. Read more